John Stewart: Green Lantern Appreciation 2022

[Frontier]

It's unfortunate on what happened from a fan's perspective. As for his statement, I don't get this, though. If the purpose is to eliminate competition based on a speculation from Ernie Altbacker's statement, why would he push for the Green Lantern animated series to be revived if they want to get rid of competition?

Different story, different MC, different audience.

[Sodam Yat]

Different story, different MC, different audience.

So that would mean they're not trying to get Hal from being eliminated from any sort of entertainment medium, right? Or maybe I misinterpreted what you said earlier. If so, apologies.

[Frontier]

So that would mean they're not trying to get Hal from being eliminated from any sort of entertainment medium, right? Or maybe I misinterpreted what you said earlier. If so, apologies.

I was talking purely in the case of how they handled the story of Beware my Power.

[Sodam Yat]

I was talking purely in the case of how they handled the story of Beware my Power.

If that's the case, then I wouldn't call it eliminating the competition to be honest. It's really a plot twist that they thought would be good storytelling for the audience.

[Redjack]

So that would mean they're not trying to get Hal from being eliminated from any sort of entertainment medium, right? Or maybe I misinterpreted what you said earlier. If so, apologies.

DC will NEVER and I mean NEVER "get rid" of Hal Jordan. Too much time and money has been put into the property over too many years.

All this paranoia about that eventuality comes from people who believe anything less than 100% Hal, 100% of the time with Hal being constantly presented as The Greatest Lantern Ever is an attack on them and on the character.

It's stupid. it's weird. It's not happening and it will never happen.

The concept of a Green Lantern Corps allows the company to shift the focus to ANY human (or human-looking) Lantern they believe will get more traction in the larger audience. Do NOT be surprised if Jessica Cruz breaks out and becomes "the" Green Lantern once the show drops (if it does).

MYOPIA + PARANOIA = bullshit and bad feelings.

No one is erasing or diminishing Hal. Not because he's loved but because he's a company asset and nobody throws away that much money for no good reason.

Jesus Christ, this crap has got to stop.

[Refrax5]

If that's the case, then I wouldn't call it eliminating the competition to be honest. It's really a plot twist that they thought would be good storytelling for the audience.

It just seems unnecessary and they're aware it is going to rub people the wrong way but they somehow feel it was needed in order to push John up to the front, according to the interview. I don't necessarily think it's a conspiracy against Hal, but we all know for a fact that there are definitely periods where certain characters are shoved to the side or made to look bad to promote another character. It happened to Hal, Barry and Ollie in the 90s. It happened to Wally West just recently. It always sucks when one character has to be dumped on to promote another.

And it doubly sucks when it's done in a medium that reaches a bigger audience and has a bigger influence on the public perception of the character. So this movie makes Hal a bad guy and further pushes the generic military guy version of John, neither of which I'm thrilled about.

[Refrax5]

DC will NEVER and I mean NEVER "get rid" of Hal Jordan. Too much time and money has been put into the property over too many years.

All this paranoia about that eventuality comes from people who believe anything less than 100% Hal, 100% of the time with Hal being constantly presented as The Greatest Lantern Ever is an attack on them and on the character.

It's stupid. it's weird. It's not happening and it will never happen.

The concept of a Green Lantern Corps allows the company to shift the focus to ANY human (or human-looking) Lantern they believe will get more traction in the larger audience. Do NOT be surprised if Jessica Cruz breaks out and becomes "the" Green Lantern once the show drops (if it does).

MYOPIA + PARANOIA = bullshit and bad feelings.

No one is erasing or diminishing Hal. Not because he's loved but because he's a company asset and nobody throws away that much money for no good reason.

Jesus Christ, this crap has got to stop.

Considering what DC did to Wally West for a decade in order to promote Barry or what they did to Hal in the 90s to promote Kyle, I think it's disingenuous to say that there is never any company push to throw a character under the bus to promote another. Barry Allen's death was certainly intended to be permanent back in the day. So acting as if it never happens, especially in a shrinking market with multiple characters vying for the same title, doesn't ring true.

We also know that what happens in the media stuff often influences what happens in the comics, hence why Hank Pym has been MIA for years and why Nick Fury has been replaced by his very Sam Jackson-ish son. With this and reports that Hal was supposedly going to die in the GLC movie, it certainly seems like a trend.

I'm not saying that's what's happening here necessarily. But I don't blame people for being worried, just like I fully understood why fans were upset when rumors of killing John off popped up a few years back. I've certainly had characters I like die and never come back or get pushed aside for another character to never again return to prominence. It happens all the time.

[Frontier]

DC will NEVER and I mean NEVER "get rid" of Hal Jordan. Too much time and money has been put into the property over too many years.

All this paranoia about that eventuality comes from people who believe anything less than 100% Hal, 100% of the time with Hal being constantly presented as The Greatest Lantern Ever is an attack on them and on the character.

It's stupid. it's weird. It's not happening and it will never happen.

The concept of a Green Lantern Corps allows the company to shift the focus to ANY human (or human-looking) Lantern they believe will get more traction in the larger audience. Do NOT be surprised if Jessica Cruz breaks out and becomes "the" Green Lantern once the show drops (if it does).

MYOPIA + PARANOIA = bullshit and bad feelings.

No one is erasing or diminishing Hal. Not because he's loved but because he's a company asset and nobody throws away that much money for no good reason.

Jesus Christ, this crap has got to stop.

I don't know if it's just that so much as bad media appearances, inconsistent use in comics, etc.

[Redjack]

Considering what DC did to Wally West for a decade in order to promote Barry or what they did to Hal in the 90s to promote Kyle, I think it's disingenuous to say that there is never any company push to throw a character under the bus to promote another. Barry Allen's death was certainly intended to be permanent back in the day. So acting as if it never happens, especially in a shrinking market with multiple characters vying for the same title, doesn't ring true.

We also know that what happens in the media stuff often influences what happens in the comics, hence why Hank Pym has been MIA for years and why Nick Fury has been replaced by his very Sam Jackson-ish son. With this and reports that Hal was supposedly going to die in the GLC movie, it certainly seems like a trend.

I'm not saying that's what's happening here necessarily. But I don't blame people for being worried, just like I fully understood why fans were upset when rumors of killing John off popped up a few years back. I've certainly had characters I like die and never come back or get pushed aside for another character to never again return to prominence. It happens all the time.

You have never seen a central 'iconic" character die and never return.

Superman has died.
Batman has died.
Barry Allen has died.
Wonder Woman has died.
Hawkman has died.
The entire justice society has died.
HAL has died.
Supergirl has died.
Ted Kord has died.
Damien Wayne has died.

Even while Hal was dead, he wasn't gone.

It's nonsense.

Pure nonsense.

No one is getting rid of Hal. Even if he dies, no one is getting rid of Hal.

[Refrax5]

You have never seen a central 'iconic" character die and never return.

Superman has died.
Batman has died.
Barry Allen has died.
Wonder Woman has died.
Hawkman has died.
The entire justice society has died.
HAL has died.
Supergirl has died.
Ted Kord has died.
Damien Wayne has died.

Even while Hal was dead, he wasn't gone.

It's nonsense.

Pure nonsense.

No one is getting rid of Hal. Even if he dies, no one is getting rid of Hal.

Barry was gone for over 20 years and it was certainly intended to be permanent. Wally West has just been dragged through the dirt for the better part of a decade to prop up Barry. Even if the comic industry has another 20 years left in it, how long does something have to last for it to be significant to fans? As a Flash fan, it sucks to go through 10-20 year stretches where your favorite character isn't being treated well by the company or not even appearing at all. I haven't seen much of the JSA in over ten years and it sucks. I'm sure I'll see them again in some capacity, but that doesn't change the fact that my favorite superhero team had been gone from comics for over ten years.

"Barry was only gone 20 years" "Wally was only gone or written horribly for 10 years" and "Hal was still around in supervillain or Spectre form" isn't exactly a compelling argument.

[Cosmic Emerald 23]

What they did in the movie essentially just eliminated his competition in the new animated universe. Yes Kyle can still technically come in with a new origin but he wont be fulfilling his original and important purpose, which kinda would make his inclusion lackluster at best. Guy can just be left out altogether.

I believe that it was an intentional move not to alienate comic fans, but to combat the problem of having soooo many human GLs. My best guess from these moves is that they wanted GL to be a singular hero and for John to be that singular GL for their universe.

It was a rather brash move that definitely has rubbed a lot of comic readers the wrong way. My question from all this is: if the general audience doesn't care one way of the other about GL lore, then would it have hurt to have things line up with the comics more faithfully (not expecting a 1-1 adaptation) and give the other characters respect ?

[Redjack]

Barry was gone for over 20 years and it was certainly intended to be permanent. Wally West has just been dragged through the dirt for the better part of a decade to prop up Barry. Even if the comic industry has another 20 years left in it, how long does something have to last for it to be significant to fans? As a Flash fan, it sucks to go through 10-20 year stretches where your favorite character isn't being treated well by the company or not even appearing at all. I haven't seen much of the JSA in over ten years and it sucks. I'm sure I'll see them again in some capacity, but that doesn't change the fact that my favorite superhero team had been gone from comics for over ten years.

"Barry was only gone 20 years" "Wally was only gone or written horribly for 10 years" and "Hal was still around in supervillain or Spectre form" isn't exactly a compelling argument.

It's not an argument. It's a fact.

Bucky was dead before you or I was born and stayed dead for most of our lives. How's that going these days?

Hal will be fine. Maybe not 100% centered for a minute. maybe not THE Green Lantern in ALL media, but he's not going anywhere.

he's not even currently gone, despite all the squealing about me and DC supposedly gunning for him.

nonsense. just nonsense.

[j9ac9k]

Jesus Christ, this crap has got to stop.

Firstly, the original comment about "getting rid of the competition" for John was about him being the main GL in this particular animated universe. Secondly, I agree with you that they're not getting rid of Hal, but the day fans stop overreacting is the day we're all swallowed up by a giant anti-matter wave. Are you going to police Titans fans or Wally fans or whomever and tell them to curb their passions? Also, many many Hal fans have said they don't have a problem with other GLs getting their due. The idea that Hal fans need to always have Hal be #1 is a fiction propagated by people who dislike Hal because they feel Hal fans don't have any right to complain, ever since he's had so much, etc. I mean, a lot of Hal fans have said they appreciated how you wrote Hal because he was presented well, even though he wasn't the star of the book. So you can lean off the giant typeface and invoking the Savior, because what you're presenting is plain misleading and disparaging to a lot of folks.

[Redjack]

Firstly, the original comment about "getting rid of the competition" for John was about him being the main GL in this particular animated universe. Secondly, I agree with you that they're not getting rid of Hal, but the day fans stop overreacting is the day we're all swallowed up by a giant anti-matter wave. Are you going to police Titans fans or Wally fans or whomever and tell them to curb their passions? Also, many many Hal fans have said they don't have a problem with other GLs getting their due. The idea that Hal fans need to always have Hal be #1 is a fiction propagated by people who dislike Hal because they feel Hal fans don't have any right to complain, ever since he's had so much, etc. I mean, a lot of Hal fans have said they appreciated how you wrote Hal because he was presented well, even though he wasn't the star of the book. So you can lean off the giant typeface and invoking the Savior, because what you're presenting is plain misleading and disparaging to a lot of folks.

Call them as I see them, I'm afraid.

And he's not my savior, just a figure of speech used for emphasis. I never invoke fictional characters.

I'm not policing anyone, just pointing out that such fears are based on ridiculous notions about the comic book publishing world and an outsized fear of persecution for a character that has, empirically, never been persecuted.

[j9ac9k]

Call them as I see them, I'm afraid.

And he's not my savior, just a figure of speech used for emphasis. I never invoke fictional characters.

I'm not policing anyone, just pointing out that such fears are based on ridiculous notions about the comic book publishing world and an outsized fear of persecution for a character that has, empirically, never been persecuted.

I have no dispute about the level of paranoia, but when you say, "All this paranoia about that eventuality comes from people who believe anything less than 100% Hal, 100% of the time with Hal being constantly presented as The Greatest Lantern Ever is an attack on them and on the character" is just not correct. You may see it that way or you may be speaking hyperbolically, but a lot of the Hal fans I've seen (mostly on this forum, the rest of the internet is where madness lies) don't need Hal to be presented as "the greatest, all the time." (I certainly don't) Respected, for sure but being turned into an evil madman is something fans of a character might take issue with.